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UK Apologises over Treatment of Libyan Dissident

The British government has apologised to Libyan dissident and his wife who were detained and handed over to the Gaddafi regime in 2004.

Prime Minister Theresa May said Abdul Hakim Belhaj (pictured) and Fatima Boudchar, who was pregnant at the time, had suffered “appalling treatment” after they were kidnapped in Thailand by US forces, following a tip-off from British security services.

Ms Boudchar has accepted the apology and will receive a £500,000 payout; Mr Belhaj did not seek and has not been given any compensation.

Attorney General Jeremy Wright paid tribute to the constructive way in which Mr Belhaj and Mrs Boudchar have approached the mediation.

His full statement to the House of Commons, and the subsequent debate, can be read here.